


I Want Your Midnights

by thetomkatwholived



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gryffindor Albus Severus Potter, M/M, Mutual Pining, Patronus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 07:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16697866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetomkatwholived/pseuds/thetomkatwholived
Summary: Rose has an important question for Albus.





	I Want Your Midnights

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my very first fanfiction ever. I could not get this pairing out of my head and needed to get something down before I went crazy. The title is from New Year's Day by Taylor Swift because I am Swiftie trash. I hope you enjoy!

“Alright, now that some of the excitement around your coming out has died down, I have an important question. Probably _the most_ important question,” Rose Granger-Weasley wasted no time as she crashed into the seat next to Albus Potter at the Gryffindor table. He just knew breakfast would not be a quiet affair. 

Ever since he had come out as gay, first to his family over the summer and then by allowing his myriad of siblings and cousins to spread the news around Hogwarts, he rarely had a moment to himself. Even though it was 2021, Hogwarts only had a small number of LGBTQIA students. At least, a small number who were out. That made him the hot new gossip item of the moment. 

“Yes?” He asked, feigning exasperation. In actuality, he was curious as to what the most important question could be.

“Who do you think is the most attractive boy in our year? All the girls have their opinions. Polly thinks it’s Yann, but a lot of girls think it’s that vile Karl Jenkins. I mean, he’s cute, but just awful. I’m partial to Camden Boot, myself. But what about you? We’ve yet to have a guy’s opinion!”

Involuntarily, Albus’s head turned to the front corner of the table behind him so his eyes landed on a tall, pale Slytherin eating alone, surrounded by books. He blushed as he realized there was nothing subtle about this look and he had given himself away.

“Oh, Scorpius?! Good choice! We all seem to have different opinions on the most attractive, but he is in almost everyone’s Top 3. Ah, there is a rumor he likes boys too! You should go talk to him!” Rose’s enthusiasm was slightly off-putting. She and Albus had never been particularly close, but she had really started to make an effort this summer, for whatever reason.

“Er, nope. I’m good. I shall admire from afar, as I have done for years. He’s far too smart and mysterious and handsome for me anyway.” Albus saw no point in hiding his crush at this point.

“Oh, no, no, no! That just won’t do!” Rose grabbed Albus’s arm and dragged him from his seat and over to the front corner of the Slytherin table. Once he was standing in front of Scorpius, she let go and ran off. 

Albus was frozen to the spot. He had never before been in such close proximity to the object of his affections and he found himself unable to look away or move. Suddenly, as if sensing a presence, Scorpius looked up from the book he was reading. He looked shocked that someone had approached him and his eyes grew wide.

“Hello! Hi! Scorpius! I mean, I am Scorpius. And you’re Albus, right? Would you like to sit?” He indicated the spot opposite from him, which was vacant, per usual. Albus, still unable to look away, hesitantly sat down.

“Oh. Yes! I am Albus. Sorry. To interrupt. Um, what were you reading?”

“Oh, it’s a wonderful book on the 3rd Goblin Rebellion! It really captures the strife of that time and has such rich detail!” Scorpius launched into a speech about why the 3rd Goblin Rebellion was, in his opinion, the most compelling goblin rebellion as Albus rested his chin on his hand and watched, enthralled by his excitement. His stormy grey eyes lit up and he gestured wildly with his hands. If Albus thought the quiet Scorpius was lovely, he was nothing compared to this enthused Scorpius. He couldn’t imagine anywhere better to be at that moment.

As Scorpius’s speech wound down, Albus exclaimed, “Sit with me in Defense! I, I mean, we have Defense together today and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to sit with me? If you want, I mean... Katie Macmillan, in Hufflepuff, she said the Puffs and Claws did Patronuses yesterday, so it should be a really cool lesson…”

Scorpius looked pleasantly shocked as he nodded his head, “Yes, alright! Sure! Sounds great!”

Just then, a bell rang and Rose reappeared at Albus’s side, “C’mon Albus, we have to get down to the greenhouses!” She dragged him from his seat again. He turned back to look at Scorpius and noticed an odd look on his face. If he didn’t know any better, he may have called it longing.

 

As Albus walked from the greenhouses to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he couldn’t help the thrum of excitement that radiated through him. After pining from afar for the past three years, he was finally making some sort of progress with Scorpius. Sure, it was only one conversation, and a fairly one-sided one at that, but they we now sitting together in class! Oh, he’d have to save him a seat. What if someone else tried to sit with Albus before Scorpius arrived? He wasn’t terribly popular, but people still seemed to like him and he rarely sat alone in class.

As he entered the classroom, all his fears fell away as he saw Scorpius at a table near the front with his bag on the seat next to him. Albus approached the seat and, trying his hardest to sound suave but landing more on cautiously excited, asked, “Is this seat taken?” 

Not looking up from his book, Scorpius responded, “Yes, actually! It’s taken,” he glanced up, “By you! You’re Albus! Here, let me move my bag.” Once the seat was empty, Albus sat down and took out his materials. He was nervous, that much was certain. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he did, Professor Masterson called the class to attention.

“Hello! As per the post-War curriculum for 5th years, we will be working on Patronuses today. Can anyone tell me what a Patronus is?” Several hands shot up. “Mr. Malfoy.”

“A Patronus is a protection spell that produces, when properly cast, an animal made of light to protect the caster. Non-corporeal Patronuses are generally wisps of silver light. They can be used, most often, when repelling Dementors.” Scorpius must have read a lot about Patronuses to give such a textbook answer.

“Excellent! 5 points to Slytherin! A Patronus is cast using the incantation ‘Expecto Patronum’ and thinking of the happiest memory you have. Sometimes, that memory is not the most obvious, so keep that in mind. My memory would probably be classified as more serene than happy. Generally, the form a Patronus takes can tell a lot about that person. There has only been one instance of someone’s Animagus form differing from their Patronus, and you should all know that an Animagus is the animal manifestation of a witch or wizard’s spirit. Additionally, it has been noted that ‘soulmates’ will have similar or complementary Patronuses. Take that as you will. Please turn to page 34 in your textbooks and read the following 8 pages on the theory of Patronuses. Once you have all done that, we will move on to the practical portion of today’s lesson. Begin!”

Albus skimmed the pages. He already knew a large amount about Patronuses, considering who his father was. He began to think about what Professor Masterson had said about soulmates and Patronuses. He knew his grandparents’ had been a stag and a doe. His father’s stag and mother’s horse were both strong and large animals. The stag even resembled a horse when seen from far away. Aunt Hermione’s otter and Uncle Ron’s Jack Russell Terrier were both small, playful animals. He remembered family gatherings when the adults had had one too many Firewhiskeys and had all cast their respective Patronuses. He remembered watching the otter and terrier chase each other while the stag and horse walked regally side by side. He couldn’t help but glance to his left at Scorpius. Would their Patronuses be complementary? Did he even dare to hope?

“My dad’s is a peacock and my mum’s was a swan,” The whisper came from beside Albus. “Both stately birds that are outwardly beautiful, but will attack, if necessary. It helps, knowing they were meant to be. When the rumors were running rampant. Knowing they were truly soulmates. Or at least, their Patronuses seemed to suggest that.”

Albus met Scorpius’s eyes. It felt almost intimate to hear him talk about this. 

“I never believed those rumors, you know. I know a lot of people thought I should, my dad being who he is. But you, Scorpius, are the opposite of Voldemort. You are kind and sweet and such a nerd. So I never could believe them.”

A pretty pink rose to Scorpius’s cheeks. “Thank you. That means a lot. It really does.” They stayed like that, gazing into each other’s eyes, until their professor clapped her hands, making them jump and face front, both blushing magnificently.

“Okay, you all appear to have finished the reading. Now I will demonstrate a Patronus. Expecto Patronum!” A silvery fox burst forth from Professor Masterson’s wand and slunk down the aisle. Everyone watched, awestruck, until it dissolved. “Alright, give it your best shot!”

The room filled with shouts of “Expecto Patronum” from the overly enthusiastic teenagers. After a while, some people produced little wisps of light and the excitement began to grow. Albus concentrated hard on his memory: a time over the summer when he and his whole family were grouped together by a fire on a particularly chilly night. It was the happiest he could remember ever being. He was able to produce some silvery wisps a few times and smiled to himself.

Suddenly, out of Rose’s wand, erupted a large, silver-blue lioness. The whole class fell silent as they watched it prowl around the room, while Rose wore a shocked smile. 

“Oh, wonderful, Ms. Granger-Weasley! 20 points to Gryffindor!”

The rest of the class was even more determined to produce a corporeal Patronus because it was now clear that it was possible. With only 5 minutes left in class, Albus noticed something burst forth from his left. He turned to see a beautiful hawk-owl soar above Scorpius’s head as he watched, surprised and proud. The class grew silent again and watched the owl make its way through the air.

“Excellent, Mr. Malfoy! 20 points to Slytherin!”

“Wow. I can’t believe I did it! Did you see that?!” Scorpius wore the largest grin as he turned to Albus.

“It was beautiful,” Albus immediately blushed. “I mean, the owl. A very nice owl. Top notch Patronusing. Great job!” He was such a flustered mess.

“Wonderful job today, everyone! Your homework is to continue practicing. By the end of this week, I hope to have at least half of you produce a corporeal Patronus. It’s definitely a lofty goal, but you are some of the brightest 5th year students I’ve had in awhile. I’d also like 10 inches on your own experience with the spell, to be turned in next Tuesday.”

 

“Albus, I can help you practice. Did you see my lioness? Well, of course you did! We can practice in the common room tonight, after Quidditch.” Rose had appeared at Albus’s side once again as the students filtered out of the classroom. 

He chanced a look at Scorpius and mustered all the courage that must have helped make him a Gryffindor: “Actually, I was hoping Scorpius may be able to help me,” Scorpius’s head shot up. He had been silently walking next to Albus and Rose, a slightly awkward distance away. “He had such a wonderful Patronus and, well, Quidditch practice will sometimes go late so I don’t really want to have to wait for you…”

“Oh. Oh! Yes, that makes sense.” Rose then had the audacity to wink. Albus blushed and glanced at Scorpius, who, thankfully, hadn’t seemed to notice. 

“Um, sure. Yes. Okay. We can meet, um -”

Albus cut him off, “In the Room of Requirement! Let’s meet there. After dinner?”

Scorpius smiled, “Yeah, okay. Sounds good. Yeah. See you then. Or before then, maybe. But definitely then. Yeah.”

With one last smile they separated, with Albus and Rose off to Charms and Scorpius off to Herbology.

 

They met that night outside the Room of Requirement and Albus stalked past the tapestry three times thinking I need a place to practice Patronuses with Scorpius. Suddenly, a door appeared and they ambled into a quaint room with a fireplace, a small couch, and a rugged area perfect for practicing. Albus couldn’t help but notice that the atmosphere felt vaguely romantic, what with the low lighting and couch that would require two teenage boys to squeeze together to fit. Apparently, pointing out that he would be practicing with Scorpius made the room choose a particular aesthetic. 

“Cool! I’ve never actually been in here before! I’ve just heard stories! Oh, look at this bookshelf!” Scorpius’s attention was pulled to a good-sized bookshelf in the corner that was laden with books on Patronuses, DADA, and some that seemed to be more for enjoyment than studying. “Oh, we could stay here all night just practicing and reading and…” He trailed off with a blush and cleared his throat. “Or not. Just a couple hours. To practice. We don’t need to stay any longer.”

Albus smiled at his rambling. “I wouldn’t mind staying here with you.” He whispered almost inaudibly, with a great blush. They grinned goofily at each other.

“Er. Let’s get started! Okay, think of your best memory. One that fills you with warmth. And then: Expecto Patronum!” Scorpius’s owl burst forth from his wand and circled over their heads. “Wow! I didn’t know if I could do it again, but look! There he is!”

“It really is magnificent.” Albus was still watching the owl in awe. He looked over to find Scorpius staring at him, also seemingly in awe. They both blushed and looked away.

“Now you try.”

Albus tried for what felt like hours. All he seemed to be able to manage were little wisps, until he generated a burst of silver-blue light at one point, but nothing corporeal. Feeling discouraged, he collapsed on the couch. “I need a break. I can’t do this.”

Scorpius took the space next to him, his legs pressed against Albus’s. It really was a small couch. “You’ll get it. You will. Maybe you need a different memory!”

“Can we do something else? For a bit. Just to reset my brain?”

“Yeah, of course.”

They fell into easy conversation, making up for the previous four years of never having spoken. Albus told Scorpius all about his giant family as Scorpius, an only child from a small family, practically bounced with excitement. Scorpius told Albus stories of his beloved mother, revealing that his Patronus memory was a time when he was young and his parents were playing with him before bed. He felt so loved and warm in that moment. Scorpius admitted that that warmth had dissipated since his mother died. But he had such wonderful memories.

Albus felt alight. He had known he was gay at 12 because he felt butterflies in his stomach when he looked at Scorpius Malfoy. And now, it felt like a stampede of rhinos as he sat smushed up next to that same boy, talking about their lives.

“I think I’m ready to try again. I think I have a new memory.”

Albus stood, immediately missing the warmth of Scorpius next to him. He heard Scorpius rise as well, seemingly shocked at the abruptness of his declaration. But Albus was ready. He closed his eyes and thought of Scorpius’s face as he spoke just now, of the sensation of being pressed up against him, of that feeling of belonging that had settled in his chest since this morning (only this morning?!).

“Expecto Patronum!” A large burst of silver-blue light. “Expecto Patronum!” Another. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!” And there it was. Soaring above their heads was a silver-blue hawk. It swooped down and seemed to almost perch protectively on Albus’s shoulder. He stared at it, dumbstruck. He’d done it. He’d done it!

“You did it! Oh, Albus, look at it! How majestic!”

“It’s a hawk.”

“Yes, and what a hawk it is!”

“A hawk.” He swallowed hard, nervous to say what came next. But he needed to be brave. “Yours is a hawk-owl.”

Scorpius blushed a magnificent scarlet. “Oh. Yes. It is. A silly little hawk-owl. Such an odd name for a bird. Bird bird, you know? A bird named after a bird. Ha, funny.”

“It doesn’t need to mean anything if you don’t want it to.” Deep breath. “But I want it to.”

A long pause. And then: “I’m bisexual!”

“Um.” That had not been the reaction Albus was expecting.

“I know you just came out as gay, and I’m bisexual, but I guess I’m not out? My dad knows, but that’s it. Well, you know now. I had a crush on Rose, your cousin? In first year. She was the only one who seemed as excited about all our new books as I was and I guess that was enough for me to develop a crush. But I, well, I don’t fancy her anymore. I, ha, well, I realized I liked boys too in third year. I remember seeing, well, uh, you at the start of year feast, hugging Lily after she was made a Gryffindor. And you were so happy and your eyes are so green. I couldn’t look away. Can you believe it? A Malfoy fancying a Granger-Weasley and then a Potter. Ha!” Scorpius was a brilliant red at this point and couldn’t seem to look up from a particularly interesting spot on the ground, “So yeah. Bisexual.” 

Albus crept closer and closer to Scorpius, letting his words sink in. The silence engulfed them and Scorpius looked to be on the verge of tears after his outburst. Only when Albus was toe to toe with him did he chance a glance upwards. His stormy eyes surged and the color in his cheeks lessened to a bright pink. Albus had to remind himself to breathe. He brought his face close to Scorpius’s, until only a breadth of space separated the two and Albus’s lips almost brushed Scorpius’s as he opened his mouth to take a deep breath in. And then suddenly, mercifully, they were kissing. If asked, neither could say who made that final move, but both responded with enough enthusiasm to almost knock them over.

Albus grabbed onto Scorpius’s face as an anchor, while Scorpius fisted his hands in Albus’s jumper. All too soon, they broke apart both flushed and slightly panting. Before either could speak, Albus leaned in to give a soft, lingering peck.

“And who would have thought that a Potter would fancy a Malfoy right back?”

They spent some more time talking and laughing, with the occasional snog thrown in, because, hey, they could. They watched their Patronuses fly around the tiny room together, knowing this was the start of something important and wonderful. Albus thought, with a laugh, that he would probably want to leave this part out of his essay.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, that's all she wrote! And by she, I mean me. I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Sophie ([@plaudiusplants](https://plaudiusplants.tumblr.com/)) for being my beta and helping me finalize everything. Also, a big shoutout to my friend, Heather ([@filthysweetie](http://filthysweetie.tumblr.com/)), for inspiring me to write and reading this fic even though she's not in the Cursed Child fandom. Feel free to come find me on Tumblr at [@theswiftiewholived](http://theswiftiewholived.tumblr.com/). Thank you for taking the time to read my fic!


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